What does it take to participate in every Virgin Active Ride Joburg 97km race since the event’s inception? Twenty six events later, Denise and Terry Millar will tell you that the answer is a burning passion for cycling and a healthy dose of peer pressure.

As a “cycling family”, this event was never seen as optional for the Millars. Rather, it is a yearly milestone etched in the calendar.

At 75 years of age, the Millars are gearing up to take to yet another start line in 2024, rounding their tally to 27 Virgin Active Ride Joburg races, with no intention of slowing down anytime soon.

From Racing Snakes to Family Traditions

For the past fifteen years, Terry and Denise have ridden alongside one another, motivating each other as they go.

“We’ve climbed every hill together, side by side,” says Terry, “start to finish.”

He humorously adds that if it was not for Denise, he probably would not be here today. “She’s the real disciplined one. Whenever I’ve wanted to sleep in and miss a training ride, she motivates us,” he says.

But it wasn’t always like that. In his heyday, Terence led the pack – a real “racing snake” as he terms it, finishing with impressive times and gunning for glory.

Denise took to cycling with shared enthusiasm, albeit with a completely different approach. She explains that the real magic for her was not individual triumph, but rather getting to ride in her club peloton.

“That’s what kept me coming back. Riding in the peloton was a lot of fun. We’d ride hard, but also stop to regroup throughout the event,’ shared Denise. “It was nice that we could go out and do our thing, enjoying the event in different ways,” adds Terry .

Along with riding with her cycling club (Club 100), Denise rode many Virgin Active Ride Joburg races with their daughter Nicky Ryder, who married the one and only Douglas Ryder.

“I rode my best time while riding with Nicky. I remember crossing the line just over three hours, and Nicky promptly telling me, if I’d ridden just a bit faster I’d have broken the 3-hour mark. I had to remind her that I was actually vomiting from exertion at one point, and I’d damn-near given it my all,” Denise fondly recalls, with a smile. “That really was one of the best times of our lives, when the whole family was involved.”

And Denise really means the whole family. When asked about their other daughter, Taryn, Terry shared that she was not exempt from their ‘Ride Joburg craze’. “It was so much of a family tradition that even the non-riders of the family were roped into a good few,” he chuckles.

“I remember the one year Taryn rode and got a puncture. A kind passerby stopped to help, and she jokingly told him to leave her because fixing it would mean she had to keep going,” recalls Denise. “I think she enjoyed being part of it though, even if it wasn’t her chosen sport.”

The Toughest Hill

When asked about the toughest part of the route, Denise and Terry agreed: “Jan Smuts”. It’s a particularly gnarly hill, with a steep finish, waiting for riders near the end of the race, with the warmer temperatures adding to the suffering.

This was particularly true for Denise in 2023, as she rode her most difficult race to date. “I felt I had to fight for every pedal stroke, and seriously struggled up there. At one point, I even considered getting off to push,” she says.

“I remember collapsing when I eventually crossed the finish line. I received fantastic medical attention immediately, and luckily they helped with what was actually severe dehydration,” she adds. Despite this sufferfest, Denise is quick to affirm that she is ready to do it all again in 2024.

Unyielding Competitive Spirit

After such a difficult ride in 2023, the couple would be forgiven for hanging up their kit and instead spectating, but that’s simply not the case.

In many ways, cycling is what keeps them young and healthy. They see giving up cycling prematurely as giving up these benefits, too.

“This is an event we will continue to ride for as long as we are able to,” says Denise. “Cycling is the perfect non-weight-bearing sport. Compared to our peers, we are so mobile and fit and I don’t see any reason to give up the sport that has kept us this way,” she adds.

It’s stories like this that show us this couple’s tenacity and grit, as 27 consecutive years of riding the race is no small feat. They’ve experienced the good, the bad and the ugly of this sport. In their true style of dedication, the Millars remain steadfast in their belief that it’s better to have partaken, than to have not shown up.

“I have never gotten to the end of the race and wondered ‘why the hell did I do that?’. I have always enjoyed it. Look, it’s hard and, as you get older, it gets harder, but it’s always worth it,” says Terry.